It has been reported that over 2 million people per year play golf as a pastime while, simultaneously, similar numbers of people quit playing golf as a pastime. As a result, the sport of golf has enjoyed little to no growth. It is believed that the reason so many people quit the sport of golf is because of the degree of difficulty in playing a respectable game of golf.
The key to playing a respectable game of golf is the golfer's ability to get the golf ball from the tee to the pin in as few strokes as possible. And it is well known that one way to reduce the number of strokes it takes get from the tee to the pin is to hit the ball farther with each swing of the golf club. In other words, by hitting the golf ball farther each time the golfer swings the golf club, it will take the golfer less swings, or strokes, to move the golf ball from the tee to the pin.
Using the distance from the middle tees to the pin as an example, par-three holes will generally range between 100 yards and 250 yards, par-four holes will generally range between 250 yards and 450 yards, and par-five holes will generally range between 450 yards and 600 yards. And using the average amateur male golfer as an example, the distance a golfer can hit a golf ball with a driver will generally range between 150 yards and 200 yards, the distance a golfer can hit a golf ball with a 7-iron will generally range between 120 yards and 150 yards, and the distance a golfer can hit a golf ball with a pitching wedge will generally range between 80 yards and 200 yards. As those numbers demonstrate, a golfer will typically have to use different combinations of golf clubs on different holes to achieve the distances required to get the golf ball from the tee to the pin. Thus, by increasing the distance the golf ball travels each time a golfer strikes it, the golfer can not only reduce the number strokes it takes to move the ball from the tee to the pin, the golfer can also reduce the number of different clubs that must be used to get the golf ball close to the pin.
Although a significant amount of technology has been developed in an attempt to help golfers hit golf balls farther, that technology is generally limited to the materials, shapes, and sizes of the club head and shaft. In particular, that technology is directed to increasing the head speed of the golf club, increasing the “sweet spot” of the golf club head, moving the center of gravity of the club head, and improving the efficiency with which energy is transferred to the golf ball. Because the distance traveled by a golf ball is proportional to the squared value of the speed of the club head as it hits the golf ball, increasing the head speed of the golf club is one of the best ways to help golfers hit golf balls farther. Unfortunately, however, most of the technology directed to increasing the head speed of a golf club is based on improving the aerodynamics of the club head, which invariably means making it more like an airfoil profile. Accordingly, such technology presents the risk of generating lift when the airfoil is not symmetric and perfectly aligned (i.e., a zero angle of attack) with the oncoming airflow, which can make a golf club feel twitchy and less accurate.
In addition, some of the other forms of technology for helping golfers hit golf balls farther rely on golfers to produce certain head speeds before they will provide the intended benefits, thereby compounding the distance problem for golfers with low head speeds. A specific example of such a technology is the reduction of the wall thickness of certain sections of a club face to produce a spring-like effect in the club face that causes the golf club to impart a larger initial velocity on the golf ball. However, when golfers with low head speeds use such golf clubs, the deformation of the club face is so small that the effect of increasing the initial velocity of a ball is insufficient.
In addition, the technology discussed above is relatively expensive to implement, which drives up the cost of golf clubs. Moreover, that technology generally cannot be retrofit into/onto existing golf clubs. Thus, a golfer must replace his or her golf club(s) to enjoy that technology. Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for an apparatus and method that increases the head speed of golf clubs and, more particularly, that can be retrofit onto existing golf clubs.